I'm content to keep sucking while getting rid of the poison on the roster over the course of this season. ...Then we can sign a FA or two and start our 7 year streak of NBA champuionship victories! I'd rather be bad than be average this season so we can add another lottery pick to the mix that can contribute on the cheap while playing his rookie contract.

Some dudes that I'd like to take a look at NEXT summer include: Tony Allen Klay Thompson James Harden JJ Redick Tyreke Evans Evan Turner Josh Smith James Johnson David West DeJuan Blair Serge Ibaka Paul Milsap Al Jefferson

$15M a year for a big man who's a poor defender? That's perennial all-star money. Strictly looking at his value today he's in the $10M area imo. I'd pay him more if it where a long term contract since he'll improve but I'd have to think about $15M/y.

$15M a year for a big man who's a poor defender? That's perennial all-star money. Strictly looking at his value today he's in the $10M area imo. I'd pay him more if it where a long term contract since he'll improve but I'd have to think about $15M/y.

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No it isn't. Max contract is perennial all star money. $15 million is what Omer Asik is getting in the final year of his contract. You know what you get for that money? A handful of rebounds and the offensive prowess of a snail on acid .

Ever seen Brook Lopez rebound? Me neither. Lock him up for a touch over $15 million a year. Even though he shoots less than 50% from the field and just 63% from the free throw line.

How about Kris Humphries. That bro will get you a solid 6/5 on 47% shooting. What a bargain at $12 million a year.

Nene - 14/7. $13 million

15 million for a top 15 PER player on 16/10? The 5th most efficient offensive centre in the league? Thats a damn bargain.

No it isn't. Max contract is perennial all star money. $15 million is what Omer Asik is getting in the final year of his contract. You know what you get for that money? A handful of rebounds and the offensive prowess of a snail on acid .

Ever seen Brook Lopez rebound? Me neither. Lock him up for a touch over $15 million a year. Even though he shoots less than 50% from the field and just 63% from the free throw line.

How about Kris Humphries. That bro will get you a solid 6/5 on 47% shooting. What a bargain at $12 million a year.

Nene - 14/7. $13 million

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Sure, if you only use bad contracts as a reference when you pay someone you might find $15M to be a fair price. If you take it one step further and only look at the highest paid year of a 5M-5M-15M structured bad contract, Ben Gordon looks like a bargain. That might be your way of comparing contracts, but it ain't mine.

I don't understand the criticism of Humphries and Lopez. Humphries averaged more than a double double over the past two seasons with > .500 shooting and more than 70% from the FT line. He also led his team in blocked shots with 1.2 per game and was easily the win share leader on his team.

Lopez has a greater than 50% FG percentage for his career. Last year he only played 5 games due to a broken ankle and then a sprain. His career FT average is a hair under 80%, which is obviously great for a center. Why would you use stats from only 5 games last season to represent his FT percentage and portray him as a bad FT shooter? In Lopez's last real season with the Nets, he had more than twice as many points as the next highest player on the team (1,673 to the next best at 811). He was 2nd on the team in rebounds, only to Humphries. He was 1st on the team in blocks. He was 4th in assists, behind only Williams, Harris, and Farmar. He led the team in efficiency. 1st in defensive win shares.

Sure, if you only use bad contracts as a reference when you pay someone you might find $15M to be a fair price. If you take it one step further and only look at the highest paid year of a 5M-5M-15M structured bad contract, Ben Gordon looks like a bargain. That might be your way of comparing contracts, but it ain't mine.

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I picked three recent contracts offered and then a random one I could think of (Nene).

I think Lopez and Humphries are great players. Don't get me wrong. But their career numbers paint a very solid picture for what Monroe should earn.

Lopez is fairly close - more points, less rebounds, less efficient, most likely a better defender. I would consider him worth the money that they pay him (assuming that he actually plays at his career levels) at roughly $15 million. But he is young - as is Monroe - and so you are also paying for undeveloped talent.

With Monroe there are a few really important point to consider 1 - He is a good rebounder in terms of positioning. Athleticism leaves something to be desired 2 - He is a finesse scorer, and likely has greater longevity as a result 3 - He is a smart passer and has a low turnover rate

In my mind this makes him a contributor with a low injury risk and the capability to grow not only on his own talent, but also on the collective talent of the team.

Hypothetically, if next year his number move towards 18/10/5 with similar efficiency, is he still not worth $15 million a year? Even if his defense doesn't improve, which it likely will, defense is a team effort which can be improved through training. There are very few extremely effective one on one defenders in the league. Defensive systems are built on communication and transition. By all statistical means, Monroe was one of the better centres in the league. And he plays with garbage!

FYI Omer Asik, in my mind, is bench filler. He fits into the system well in Chicago and performed well in his role. But this guy is probably not even worth the $8m a year his contract will average. And he is effectively untradeable because of that last year. Roy Hibbert is raw as and he is a candidate for a max contract. The guy has a lot of potential, no doubt, and he was doing really well, but is he worth a max? Probably not. He isn't game-changing talent.

I think the issue here is how we are viewing what people are worth. You are measuring from a point zero, so to speak, whereas my opinion is shaped more by context. Neither is more right, just different.

Put it this way - is Monroe worth $15m a year. Maybe not. Will Dumars have to pay that to retain him? Most likely.

I was just objecting to the statement that Monroe was worth $15M right now, not if he's worth to tie up with a $15M/y multiyear contract. The contracts mentioned are imo some of the worst contracts signed this offseason from a value perspective and one could make the case that Nene is as good if not better than GM today. If GM continues to improve I don't doubt he'll be worth 15M/y, I just don't think his game is worth it today.